Wichita’s heavy rainfall could mean more colorful trees this fall. See when they’ll peak
The first day of fall is coming up, and Wichita’s recent weather patterns may mean more colorful trees than in previous years.
Sept. 22 marks the start of the autumn season, and while temperatures could still get warm throughout the month, Wichitans should still expect to see cooler temperatures in the near future. The end of September usually means highs in the upper 70s, while October usually means highs in the 60s.
As well as the cooler temps, another fall trademark is also on its way: color-changing trees. You may have already noticed some color changes around Wichita.
“Driving around, you can start to see hints of fall color now,” Matthew McKernan, horticultural agent for the Sedgwick County extension office, said. “But typically the month of October is when we see our best fall color.”
And while Wichita’s heavy rainfall this summer has become a nuisance for some, it could mean more intense color this year, McKernan said.
“The weather patterns that we’ve seen this year really give us the opportunity to hopefully have … potentially, really good fall color,” McKernan said. “Typically, we are going to see the best fall color in years where we get plenty of summer rain and we have had that really this summer.”
So, when will your backyard change colors? What trees will change first? Here’s what to know.
What are the best conditions for fall colors?
Summer months with significant rainfall create prime conditions for fall colors. Cool temperatures in October with bright sunny days will also add to the chances of getting bright colors on trees and shrubs.
“[That is] typically when we’re going to get the best fall color,” McKernan said.
“Usually in early October ... we start to see some of our maple trees when early season fall color develops, and then later on in the month, we typically see a lot of our oaks and some of our later fall color develop,” McKernan said.
While it depends on the weather, the Wichita area usually sees its fall colors peak the third week of October through the first week of November. Northern Kansas will see fall colors peak earlier, starting early October.
Explore Fall’s fall foliage map, which takes data from several sources including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, predicts the whole state to be experiencing low color Oct. 4, moderate to high color on Oct. 19 before experiencing peak color around Oct. 29.
Yellows, which include cottonwoods and yellow birches, are the first trees to develop their color. Maple trees also sometimes peak earlier in the season, but McKernan said that’s usually due to stress on the plant.
Oaks are some of the last trees to develop color, usually peaking in early November. Some common colorful oak trees in the area are red oaks, texas red oaks and shumard oaks.
Trees aren’t the only plants that add color to the area during fall, McKernan noted. Shrubs are also known to add color to the landscape during the cooler months.
“There’s a lot of shrubs and perennials that can really provide intense color as well,” McKernan said.
The most common one people notice is the burning bush, which provides intense red color, McKernan said.
But even with summer’s rainfall, the intensity of the color could depend heavily on any freezes the state experiences in the fall.
“If we get really hard freezes early on in the fall, that’s typically going to be detrimental to our fall color,” McKernan said.
Cloudy conditions could also have an impact.
“If we continue with cloudy weather, that may reduce the pigment development in the tree,” McKernan said.
The National Weather Service’s climate prediction center shows a 40-50% chance of Kansas experiencing warmer than normal temperatures in the months of September, October and November.
This story was originally published September 11, 2025 at 4:15 AM.
